Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
W ith nerves fluttering in her belly, Delta walked up the stairs and through the double doors of the home where Ignacio’s family waited. She had visited this house numerous times when she was younger—first as a friend and later as a girlfriend. His father, Benicio, had built this mansion for their blended family decades ago. On part of the expansive grounds, Ignacio’s stepmother had created a fruit and vegetable garden, which she tended to keep herself busy.
Delta knew Ignacio’s family hadn’t approved of their on-again, off-again relationship years ago. His sisters, especially, had seemed ready to claw her eyes out for hurting their brother. The rest of the family had been better at hiding their animosity, but Ignacio had hinted at their displeasure without explicitly saying they weren’t happy. That’s why she had taken great care with her appearance, hoping to impress his family and not reveal that their whole relationship had begun as a lie to the public.
She’d had her hair styled in body waves and wore dark slacks with a cream-colored blouse. Ignacio looked handsome in a black button-down shirt and black slacks, his curly hair hanging loose on his shoulders.
After a member of the staff took their coats at the door, they walked through one of the arches toward the great room. As soon as they entered, everyone halted their conversations and stared at them.
Rose Santana, the matriarch of the family, was the first to rise from her chair and approach. “Well, hello. Welcome. It’s good to see you again, Delta. I’m so glad you could join us for dinner. It’s been a long time.” She gave her a warm hug.
Delta melted into the petite woman’s arms. “Thank you, Mrs. Santana.”
Ignacio and Delta sat next to each other, and after brief welcomes from the rest of the family, the conversations resumed. She remembered that Ignacio had a big family, but it had gone through changes over the years.
Thiago was in the process of taking over his father’s company. His sister Audra was now married with five children, Monica was engaged, Ethan had remarried, and Bruno was also married. Maxwell, the youngest, was on his way to becoming a doctor and had come home from his residency for the holiday, bringing friends with him. Ignacio’s parents were no longer together, but according to him, they got along well, so she wasn’t surprised to see his father at the house.
Finally, Rose stood. “There are so many of us today—too many to eat in the dining room, so dinner will be served in the party room, where we have tables set up.”
After her announcement, she led the way out of the room.
“The party room?” Delta whispered.
“The huge sunroom at the back of the house,” Ignacio explained.
“Oh, the one where part of the ceiling and most of the walls are made of glass?”
Ignacio nodded. “We started calling it the party room because that’s where my parents hosted big gatherings for a while.”
The room had been transformed to look like the ballroom of a hotel, with several tables covered in white tablecloths to accommodate the entire family. Along the main wall were more tables filled with covered dishes. Delta could already smell the food, and her stomach growled as she anticipated digging in.
“You all know Rosa likes to have the whole family together, so of course she’s very happy right now,” Benicio said.
The rest of the family laughed, while his ex-wife pursed her lips and shot him a playful glare. Her name was Rose, but Delta remembered he always called her Rosa.
“Do you like to have the whole family together too?” The question came from Junior, Audra’s oldest child.
Benicio smiled indulgently at his grandson. “I do. I love these moments when we’re all together. Our family is big and growing every year. Soon, I’ll have another son.” He turned his attention to Monica’s fiancé, Andre. “And I have two more daughters now,” he said, his gaze encompassing Skye and Marissa, his sons’ wives. “Before we say grace, Ethan said he wanted to say a few words.”
“Thank you.” The oldest son acknowledged his father with a nod.
“He must be about to announce a very lucrative deal. The only time I’ve seen him look so pleased was when he secured funding for his mixed-use community,” Ignacio murmured from the side of his mouth.
Delta only remembered meeting Ethan a handful of times in the past, but she recalled him being rather stoic. Horizon, his mixed-use community, was well-known in the Atlanta area.
“This announcement isn’t mine alone.” He took the hand of his wife, who was standing beside him in a loose-fitting, long- sleeved dress. “We wanted to share our good news with all of you. Skye and I are going to be parents.”
A gasp went through the room, and the entire family erupted in cheers. Delta and the other guests joined in the congratulations, sharing pats on the back and hugs as everyone celebrated the excitement.
“That’s why you’re wearing that loose-fitting dress,” Monica accused, pointing, which caused the Connor-Santana clan to burst into laughter.
Skye, grinning from ear to ear, placed a hand on her belly and showed off her bump.
Finally, everyone settled down, and Benicio clasped his hands together. Looking around the room, he said, “That was some unexpected but excellent news.”
Bruno, the second oldest son, cleared his throat. “I have an announcement too, but it’s hard to beat that.”
Scattered laughter filled the room, followed by hushed silence.
“Since we cannot beat you, I guess we’ll join you. Marissa and I are also pregnant.”
Delta’s mouth fell open as excited screams filled the room, followed by hugs and pats on the back as everyone congratulated them too. Once again, she offered her congratulations with the rest of the family and guests.
Rose’s eyes filled with tears. “Is this really happening? Two babies at the same time? Oh, my goodness!”
“You’re going to be busy, Mommy,” Monica said, squeezing her mother into a one-armed hug.
“I’m ready,” Rose said with confidence.
They all laughed.
When the room was quiet again, Benicio looked around at his family. “Does anyone else have a pregnancy announcement before we say grace?” He waited, his eyes twinkling with humor as he surveyed the room of smiling faces. “All right, let us hold hands and bow our heads.”
Benicio said a prayer to bless the food and for his sons and daughters-in-law and their unborn babies. Afterward, they all lined up to fill their plates. In addition to turkey, there was ham and various sides. Delta had already cheated once on her diet this past week, but she couldn’t resist adding a helping of macaroni and cheese to her plate. She then perused the dessert table, and her mouth fell open. She turned to look at Ignacio, who was across the room talking to his brother Thiago.
She caught his eye and mouthed, Chocolate chip cookies with macadamia nuts .
He smiled, and that’s when she realized he had put in a request to his mother. He was so thoughtful. The small gesture meant the world to her because he had paid attention and wanted her to have the treat.
“Are you going to stick around this time?” The surprising question came from Monica, Ignacio’s sister, tall and slender with a short natural hairstyle. She held a plate of food in her hand as she waited for a reply.
“What do you mean?” Delta asked, playing dumb.
Monica eyed her with barely concealed annoyance, and Delta straightened her spine, refusing to be intimidated.
Monica leaned closer, as if about to share a secret. “Don’t play games with my brother’s emotions. Ignacio doesn’t deserve that. If you care about him, act like it.” A taut smile briefly lifted the corners of her mouth, and then she sauntered off to her table.
Great. As she’d suspected, not everyone was pleased she and Ignacio were supposedly back together. Being viewed as the bad guy in the relationship sucked.
As Delta made her way to her chair, Marissa and Skye sat next to each other at another table and immediately put their heads together. She felt a twinge of envy. They were about to become mothers, and she didn’t know when or if she would ever have children. Could she strike the right balance between being a performer and a good mother? Plenty of women had done so before her, but she was well aware that having a supportive partner played an important role in ensuring balance and raising well-rounded children.
She cast a quick glance at Ignacio, who was filling his plate with food. Did he want children? They hadn’t discussed the topic in any detail when they were younger, but they were both in their thirties now, and she didn’t know what he wanted. She also didn’t know if their “relationship” would last past the originally discussed six-month expiration date.
A wave of sadness overcame her, and she picked up her iced tea and took a huge swallow, wishing she had something much stronger. As she placed the glass on the table, a young girl with goddess braids approached with stars in her eyes.
“Hi,” she said nervously.
“Hi.” Delta smiled at her.
Ignacio arrived at that moment and placed his plate on the table. “This is my niece, Kerilyn. The last time you saw her, she was around five or six years old. She probably wants to know if she can have an autograph.”
“Uncle Ignacio.” The teenager’s cheeks reddened.
“Am I wrong?”
She bit her lip and shook her head.
Ignacio slung his arm around his niece’s shoulders. “She won’t bite, I promise,” he said.
“He’s right, I don’t,” Delta said. “If you have something to write on, I’d be happy to give you my autograph.”
The girl’s face brightened. “Thank you. Oh my gosh, I’m sorry for being such a dork, but I can’t believe I’m eating Thanksgiving dinner with Delta J.”
She handed over a piece of paper and a pen with a trembling hand.
“How do you spell your name?” Delta asked.
“How do I spell my name?” For a second, she appeared confused. As Ignacio opened his mouth to help her, she shook her head. “Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I know how to spell my name.” She let out an embarrassed laugh. “K-E-R-I-L-Y-N.”
Delta wrote a message and signed her name below it.
Kerilyn gazed at the message and then clutched the paper to her chest. “Thank you so much. Can I give you a hug?”
“You sure can.” Delta stood and embraced her.
“Okay, I’ll leave you alone now.” Kerilyn rushed off to sit at the table with her mother.
Ignacio sat next to Delta. “Thanks for doing that.”
“Of course. That’s what we do.”
“Looks like she’s texting her friends now,” he added.
Sure enough, his niece’s thumbs were flying across her phone.
“What did Monica say to you a few minutes ago?”
Delta opened her mouth to answer honestly but thought better of it. No point in creating friction between the siblings. “She told me to get some ham—said it’s pretty good. I’ll get some when I go for seconds. I have plenty of room in my belly since I didn’t eat much at home.”
Her family had eaten their Thanksgiving meal earlier, but she had only had a small portion to save room for tonight’s meal.
Ignacio sat back and watched her with a thoughtful expression. “Ham, huh?”
“Mhmm.” She touched his thigh under the table. “Thank you for inviting me.”
The distraction seemed to work. He covered her hand and squeezed. “I’m glad you came.”
Delta picked up her fork. “You know I’m leaving with a bunch of those cookies, right?”
“I already know.” Ignacio dropped his voice. “I asked Mama Rosa to set aside a container for you. It’s in the kitchen.”
Delta stared at him in disbelief. How had she let him go before?
He was perfect.